A CALLOUS crook smashed into a popular skating rink and caused hundreds of pounds of damage.

Chris Scutt, of Stour Close, Dovercourt, runs Dovercourt Skating Rink with his wife Jen, and puts on regular events for the community.

He said he was devastated to discover a yob smashed their way into the building, in Lower Marine Parade, between between 3am and 3.30am on Sunday, November 5.

He said it took the crook half an hour to get through the door, and once they were inside the building the alarm went off and they ran off empty handed.

Although nothing was taken, Mr Scutt had to fork out £500 to repair the damage to the fire door, and replace the padlocks and chains.

He said: “It’s about the seventh time we have been broken into in three years which is really upsetting.

“It looked like one person broke in and they moved the external CCTV cameras and then it took them half an hour to get through the fire door.

“Then the alarms went off and frightened them off.”

Mr Scutt said the break-in comes less than two weeks after the rink celebrated its 70th anniversary.

He said: “It is such a shame that it has been targeted again.

“I don’t know why it is targeted, but this is the first time nothing has been stolen from inside as the alarm scared them off.

“The only thing we could do is get external shutters, but we have not got the money for shutters which would cost about £2,000.

“My wife and myself are really disheartened and it’s hard to keep the rink open when you are losing so much money from break-ins.

“It makes you want you give up, but we don’t want them to win.”

Anyone with information about this incident should contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.